La Feria

I returned from the U.S. ready to dive into work, excited to see what fruits will come of the groundwork laid by my first year in Peace Corps. Naturally I was surprised when I returned on the 6th of January to find my town overtaken by carnival folk. ¨The Feria doesn’t start for another two weeks,¨ I thought to myself. How quickly I forget! Somehow my mind had eliminated the memory of the month-long celebration that was last years´ feria.

And so, it began…three weeks of crazy corn (more on that later), ferris wheels, dancing and general merrymaking. It was completely exhausting, but I enjoyed every last minute of it (okay, maybe not after I went on the ferris wheel 3 times in one night, interspersed with the partaking of street food, but you know what I mean.) Like I said before, one of the things I love about Guatemala is the strong emphasis on community, and town ferias are community at its best.


The creepy ticket booth for the ferris wheel


Churros! If you don't know...you should.


Watching my friend Lily play basketball (they won the inter-municipal championships!)


Kids dancing in traditional dress in one of the cultural events


The smoothie stand


A costumed dancer in a "convite"



Scariest ferris wheel. Ever.